Professor
Won Hee Jung
Department of Systems Biotechnology, Chung-Ang University, Korea
Title of the talk: Exploring the Gut Mycobiome in Ulcerative Colitis Patients through Culturomics Analysis
Abstract
The human gut is colonized by diverse microorganisms, including bacteria, viruses, protozoa, and fungi. Several studies have suggested that the gut fungal microbiome (mycobiome) impacts host immunity and the development and progression of human diseases. However, most gut microbiome studies have focused exclusively on bacteria, and the mycobiome in the organ has largely been unexplored. Here, we established a culturomics platform to isolate the fungal strains from fecal samples of a cohort of patients with ulcerative colitis (UC) and compared the fungal community structure with those of healthy subjects (HT). Our analysis revealed that the majority of identified fungal colonies belonged to the phylum Ascomycota followed by Basidiomycota in both HT and UC. Interestingly, we observed differences in the relative abundance and diversity of the gut mycobiome between UC patients and healthy individuals. Particularly, the fungal diversity was found to be decreased in UC patients compared to HT, suggesting a potential correlation with active inflammation. Furthermore, we conducted growth assays on fungal isolates under conditions mimicking the gut environment to distinguish true colonizers from transient ones that may originate from environmental sources such as food. Moreover, we collected some Candida albicans isolates, which was one of the most dominant fungal species in the fecal samples. The phenotypic characteristics of the C. albicans isolates from fecal samples were analyzed and compared with that of the same fungal species isolated from the different niches such as the gut mucosal layer and blood. The results of the comparisons between the different C. albicans isolates are presented. Finally, our study emphasizes the importance of the gut mycobiota and provides useful information on C. albicans residing in the human gut.
Biography
Won Hee Jung completed his PhD at the University of Manchester, UK, followed by postdoctoral studies at the Michael Smith Laboratories, UBC, Canada, under the supervision of Professor James Kronstad. Currently, he serves as a professor in the Department of Systems Biotechnology at Chung-Ang University. His research primarily focuses on understanding iron uptake and regulation in Cryptococcus neoformans. Additionally, he investigates Malassezia sp., basidiomycete pathogenic yeasts responsible for various skin diseases such as seborrheic dermatitis and dandruff. Mr. Jung’s group also delves into the study of the skin and gut mycobiome, along with culturomics, aiming to elucidate the roles of fungi in the human body. Over the past five years, he has contributed to more than 37 publications in prestigious journals, including mBio and PLoS Pathogens.
Publications: Google Scholar